Center vs Centre | Meaning, Spelling & Examples
The correct spelling of center depends on where your audience is located. In American English, it is spelled center, and in British English, it is centre. This is true whether it is being used as a noun or a verb.
Despite the spelling differences, the meanings are the same.
The university is a center/centre of excellence for music teaching.
The marketing campaign would center/centre on the city rather than the suburbs.
Center or centre
The only difference between center and centre is whether you are using American English spelling or British English. Center/centre is both a noun and a verb.
Center/centre as a noun has a number of meanings, both physical (e.g., “Jules Vernes is famous for writing Journey to the Center/Centre of the Earth”) and figurative (e.g., “Petr knew that Benedetta was simply the center/centre of his universe”).
The play will take place at the new arts center/centre. [building used for activities]
Both parties had drifted from the center/centre. [the middle ground in politics]
Diane had been at the center/centre of local politics for longer than anyone could remember. [the figurative heart of something]
As a verb, it means “place something in the middle” (e.g., “Elise knew it was important to center/centre the drill properly to avoid problems”) or “place at the heart of something” (e.g., “From the outset, the party tried to center/centre their campaign on hope”).
With so much ground to cover, they decided to center/centre the search in the playground.
To help people find the house, Amy was careful to center/centre the map properly.
Main differences between American and British English
American and British English are very similar, but there are a few main differences in spelling. Five important differences are:
| Difference | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -or vs -our | In American English, many Latin-derived words end in -or. | Behavior or behaviour Labor or labour Favor or favour Favorite or favourite Color or colour Honor or honour |
| In British English, these same words end in -our. | ||
| -er vs -re | In American English, some French, Latin, or Greek words end in -er. | Theater or theatre Center or centre Meter or metre Liter or litre Saber or sabre Fiber or fibre |
| In British English, these same words end in -re. | ||
| -ize vs -ise | In American English, many Greek-derived words end in -yze or -ize. | Realize or realise Recognize or recognise Analyze or analyse Organize or organise Minimize or minimise Finalize or finalise |
| In British English, these words end in -yse or -ise. | ||
| -ed vs -t | In American English, most verbs are regular and form their past tense with the suffix -ed. | Learned or learnt Burned or burnt Kneeled or knelt Dreamed or dreamt Smelled or smelt Spelled or spelt |
| In British English, some of these verbs are irregular and form their past tense with the suffix -t. | ||
| Single vs double consonant | In American English, many words are spelled with a single consonant. | Modeling or modelling Traveling or travelling Canceled or cancelled Labeled or labelled Buses or busses Focused or focussed |
| In British English, these same words are spelled with a double consonant. |
Frequently asked questions about center or centre
- Is it exam center or centre?
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In American English, it is exam center, and in British English, it is exam centre. That simply reflects how the word center/centre is spelled in the two different variants of the language. This difference is also seen in word pairs such as theater/theatre and meter/metre.
Center/centre is a noun that refers to the literal or figurative middle of something or, as in the case of “exam centre/centre,” to a building that serves a particular purpose.
As a verb, center/centre means “place or be in the middle or at the heart of something.”
You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to ensure you use center or centre correctly.
- Is it data center or data centre?
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In American English, the spelling is data center or datacenter, and in British English, it is data centre. This simply follows how the word center/centre is spelled in the US and UK. This difference is also seen in word pairs such as theater/theatre and meter/metre.
Center/centre is both a noun and a verb, and the spelling remains consistent for those two word classes.
As a noun, center/centre can be a physical place (e.g., “London is a center/centre for dance and the arts”), a description of a mathematical point (e.g., “The center/centre of a circle”), or a figurative place (e.g., “From the day he was born, Hugo has always been at the center/centre of our world”).
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can ensure you are using the correct American or British English spelling of data center/centre.
